Squeezing yourself onto Beijing’s crowded public transportation just got a little more rewarding: soon, at least some buses will be free wifi hotspots. Beijing, it seems, is finally getting into wifi; earlier this year we also saw the rollout of free wifi in Beijing’s Central Business District.
This news comes to us from the Legal Evening News, which says that China Mobile’s Beijing subsidiary has already worked out a deal with the Beijing Public Transit Group, which operates Beijing’s bus system.
It’s not clear whether all buses will be equipped with wifi equipment, or exactly how the connection will work. It’s possible that passengers will need a China Mobile phone number to access the free internet, although the Legal Evening News piece implies that’s not the case.
In addition to the regular internet, passengers will also be able to use the free wifi to access a special transportation network that will give them information about bus routes, other transportation services, and special deals. The addition of internet access could certainly make riding the bus in Beijing more interesting, so long as it isn’t so crowded that your arms are pinned to your sides so you can’t even look at your phone (that happens sometimes).
[Legal Evening News via Sina Tech]
